2013 Latin Salutatory Oration, English translation

Posted June 4, 2013; 11:30 a.m.

by the Office of Communications

Given in the Academic Assembly of Princeton
On the 4th of June
In the year 2013
In the 266th Academic Year

Grant me this last task, Arethusa; goddess, let me as mortal sing about these mortals in their bucolic fields.

First I salute you, exalted shepherd, President Tilghman, you who have overseen many very prosperous flocks. Since we are your final flock, we will strive to be monuments worthy of you. As your final act, oh goddess of the weather, you have summoned these cicadas here to salute us.

Second I turn to you and I salute you, our faithful guardians, you who look out for us from afar.

I also sing about you, honored professors: you have provided more than enough pasturage for our minds, both you Naiads who play in the leaping fountain of Woody Woo and you Dryads who inhabit renowned East Pyne.

And now I salute our parents: you have raised us and you have bought these pastures for us at no small price! If you had exposed us when we were infants, certainly these kind shepherds would have taken us in for nothing!

Thanks to your generosity, we have spent four years roaming through these wooded hills — although those of us from Forbes have roamed much farther than the others. Yet even these idyllic fields of ivy cannot stay the same and untouched, but we are leaving behind changed places. After many years of peace, arms have returned to the Street and the mysteries of Woody Woo have been thrown open to all. Finally, the carriage of our ancestors was almost lost — but behold! the ancient Dinky has triumphed and lives.

Before now we have worshipped at the temples of different gods, be it Athena Polias or Aesclepius or Clio, but hereafter we join together in the most sacred rites of Dionysus.

Once we entered these very gates as sheep, but now we will emerge from these same gates as men and women unafraid of hungry wolves and fierce storms: we will emerge as tigers of Princeton.